TENANCY KIT

TENANCY KIT

THE STOCKDALE & LEGGO APP

Everything you need, all in one place.

We are proud to introduce the new Stockdale & Leggo app.

Available on most devices, this provides one central location to manage your tenancy, maintenance, and when you’re find your next property.

Welcome to being a tenant with Stockdale & Leggo. We are looking forward to working with you throughout your tenancy to make you feel as comfortable in your new home as possible.

We understand every agency works differently, and everyone’s experience varies, so we have put together this Tenancy Kit to assist you and help make your tenancy as smooth as possible.

W E L C O M E

Your Property Manager will provide further details on each area throughout your tenancy, and we are always here to answer any questions you may have.

This information will form the basis of your tenancy with Stockdale & Leggo so please take the time to read through the document to familiarise yourself with what to expect.

Please ensure you read through the attached before you move in so we can help every step of the way.

MOVING IN TO YOUR NEW HOME

UTILITY CONNECTIONSWe will help you to connect with your home

Before moving into your new home, please remember to arrange the connection of your utilities

You will need to allow enough time for the connections to take place, so we suggest starting this process now.

The Whole House is a free service provided by Stockdale & Leggo, who are there to help and ensure a smooth transition into your new home.

Please note, when your property manager conducts the condition report, they will switch the main power switch to the off position to ensure the electricity can be connected.

CONDITION REPORTComplete and return

When collecting the keys to your new home, your property manager will provide a detailed condition report outlining the condition of the property.

It is your responsibility to go through this condition report thoroughly and make any notes in the tenant section and return this to our office within three business days.

By taking the time and completing your part of this process, you will avoid discrepancies and disagreements at the end of the tenancy allowing us to finalise your tenancy quickly.

Please note, a condition report is not a request for maintenance. Maintenance will need to be reported separately.

If you do not return the condition report to our office within the three business days, we will place the office copy on file, and this will be used at the end of the tenancy to finalise your tenancy.INSURANCE

Protect yourself and your belongings

Your landlord will have their own building insurance, however as this will not cover your personal belongings or furnishings inside the house, we strongly recommend you take out a contents insurance policy to cover these items.

Your landlord is not liable for any belongings should they be damaged or stolen whilst at the property.

REGULAR INSPECTIONSPlease make sure the property is well presented and ready for each inspection.

As your property manager, we are required to carry out regular inspections of your property for the landlord. We will provide ample notice prior to the inspection, and will work with you to ensure the time allocated is suitable.

It can be a great opportunity to talk through any issues or concerns, so please feel free to organise a time with us that you are able to be present. If you are not able to be home during this inspection, we can use our office set of keys to gain entry.

The purpose of a routine inspection is to ensure the property is clean, well maintained and in good repair. With this in mind, we will take these opportunities to report any maintenance to the owner, note the condition of the property and report any areas of concern.

The owner may choose to attend this inspection, or may simply await our inspection report which we will forward to them with photographs of the property.

Please ensure all personal items are securely locked away.

PAYING YOUR RENTAs per the Residential Tenancy Act and signed lease agreement, it is your responsibility to ensure rent is paid on time and in full to your Stockdale & Leggo office by the due date.

We have a zero tolerance policy for rent arrears.

Should your rent fall into arrears at any stage, we will immediately make contact and take the appropriate action. You will be contacted via text messages, phone calls, emails and / or letters.

Should the rent still not be paid, we are legally required to serve an appropriate 14 day notice to vacate.

To avoid any issues along the way, please communicate with your property manager in advance if the rent is going to be late for any reason so that we can work to find a solution with the landlord.

LEASE RENEWALTowards the end of the tenancy, your Property Manager will be in contact to discuss your intentions for when the lease ends.

Under the Residential Tenancies Act, you are not required to sign a further fixed term lease agreement, however if the owner agrees, it will lock you in for a set period of time where no rent increases or notices to vacate can be issued providing the security to feel settled in your home.

DURING YOUR TENANCY

FLOORINGAvoid damaging your flooring with these simple care tips:

/ Shoes, particularly high heels, can dent the floors, we recommend you take shoes off when inside.

/ Floor protectors should be placed on the bottom of all furniture.

/ Ensure furniture is not dragged across floors and that heavy items are not dropped on floors.

/ Excessive water will stain or damage flooring, so be moderate and avoid water where possible.

Should an accident occur we recommend you contact a cleaner.

/ Harsh cleaning products may cause further damage.

/ We recommend professional steam cleaning every 6-12 months

/ Extra care should be taken with heated appliances to avoid burns.

APPLIANCESIt is important to keep stoves, ovens, grillers and rangehoods free from any grease, or cooking fats.

/ Rangehood filters, exhaust fan covers and heating return air vents are often forgotten and require regular cleaning.

/ By maintaining these items throughout your tenancy, you will avoid long term damage when it comes time to vacate.

/ Please note that Stainless steel appliances must not be scrubbed with harsh or abrasive cloths. To avoid damage, please use approved cleaning products on stainless steel appliances.

WINDOW FURNISHINGSPlease ensure care is taken with all your window furnishings including your blinds, curtains and any shutters.

To avoid damage, we recommend:

/ Draw curtains and blinds to avoid dirty marks and creasing. Tie up cords to avoid hazards.

/ Do not push your hands or operate window winders through closed blinds. To open windows/doors, always open blinds/curtains first.

/ Venetian blinds should be set in the open position before lifting.

/ Holland/roller blinds will need to be re-rolled if opened too far.

/ Pets may climb blinds and leave scratches or tears, avoid this through proper training or by keeping pets away from blinds.

BINSIf your bin goes missing or becomes damaged at any point throughout your tenancy, please advise your local council immediately and let us know of this.

/ Some councils may request a police report, however in most instances, the council will replace your bin on the next available collection day.

/ Councils require bins not be visible from the street.

/ If you live in a block of units, the Body Corporate will require the bins to be kept out of eyesight from the common areas.

GENERAL CLEANINGWe recommend you regularly clean your property to ensure build up does not cause damage that will, in turn, affect the return of your bond.

Please ensure you clean the property with the correct cleaning products for the specific item and pay special attention to areas such as:

/ Grout between the tiles/ Soap scum and mould in the

bathrooms/ Oil and grease in cooking areas/ Walls and skirting boards

throughout the property/ Window sills and sliding door tracks

MAIL/ Should you receive mail addressed

to previous occupants, please write “Return to Sender” on the envelope and post it back.

/ If the mail is for the owner or landlord of your property, please forward it to our office and we can ask them to arrange their own redirection service.

/ When you vacate it is advisable to arrange a re-direction of your mail with Australia Post to avoid missing important correspondence.

TENANT RESPONSIBILITIES

CARS / DRIVEWAYSOil and grease stains are unsightly and can be avoided by taking care of your driveway & vehicles.

/ Vehicles can randomly develop leaks which may go undetected. It is highly recommended an oil tray is placed under your vehicle.

/ Any major works to your vehicle should be conducted at a mechanics workshop.

/ Always park in the designated areas for your property, and not on any grassed areas or garden beds.

/ It can be a costly exercise to re-sow lawn areas and reinstate garden beds. Breaking a water or gas meter can be even more costly.

/ Be mindful of where you park to avoid blocking in neighbours, and if there is guest parking available in communal areas, please ensure you leave these available for visitors.

GARDENINGUnless otherwise specified, it is the tenant’s responsibility to maintain all garden areas on the property and the front nature strip. This includes:

/ Mowing and edging grassed areas/ Weeding garden beds and paved

areas/ Pruning of bushes and regular

watering.

We are aware many people struggle with the maintenance of the garden areas.

/ We are able to provide you recommendations of professional gardeners upon request.

/ Regular maintenance avoids large costs in reinstating gardens to their original state.

SMOKE ALARMSChange your clock, change your battery!

/ Smoke alarm batteries should be changed twice a year. Daylight savings is a great reminder of this.

/ It is imperative that you notify your agent immediately if you become aware that there is a fault with the smoke detector.

/ This bay be including, but not limited to, a continual beep, random beeps, or a light that is no longer operational.

KEYS, LOCKS & ALARMS/ Although all care is taken, neither

the agent nor the landlord can guarantee the keys have not been copied by previous occupants.

/ Should you choose the change the locks, it will be at your expense, and a copy of any and all new keys must be provided to the agent.

/ Re-coding alarms is also the tenant’s responsibility. The landlord/agent will provide the most recent alarm code.

/ It is not uncommon for alarm systems to be non-functional. Please check with your property manager if this is the case as it may not be provided within the tenancy.

SMOKINGDo not smoke inside the property under any circumstances.

/ Please ensure you smoke outside at all times to avoid being served with a breach notice and excessive cleaning bills at the end of your tenancy.

PETS Please ensure you notify us if you are thinking of getting a pet, this needs to be put to the owner for their approval.

MAINTENANCEIt is important to understand your responsibilities as a tenant, as well as the landlords responsibilities when it comes to maintenance.

As a tenant, there are certain things we ask you do to ensure the property is well maintained throughout your tenancy, and to avoid any unnecessary call outs and costs.

Please ensure you read through the next pages and keep your home in a good condition.

Should maintenance occur due to mis-use or poor maintenance on behalf of the tenant, you may find yourself responsible for the payment of the invoice.

NON URGENT MAINTENANCE

Non-urgent maintenance must be reported to your Property Manager in writing.

It is a requirement of the legislation that all maintenance requests are submitted in writing.

This can be done through email, post or in person using the Maintenance Request Form available at the office.

Once we receive your written maintenance request, we will communicate this to the owner for their instructions.

Please note that while we are the managing agents, we do not have the ability to approve maintenance without the owners approval.

Please include as much information as possible when reporting maintenance. Photographs or videos will help us speed up the process for you, as we can forward this through to the owner and tradespeople, thus reducing the back and forth which regularly causes delays.

We will do our best to communicate with you throughout this process keeping you up to date with the progress.

URGENT MAINTENANCE

Urgent repairs can be phoned through to us, we can action them quickly, avoid further damage, and ensure you are safe and secure in your home.

You are not required to report urgent repairs to us in writing, however we encourage a paper trail for our files, and as such request an email with photographs or videos outlining the issue.

Under the residential tenancies act, the following items are considered urgent and require action within 24 hours.

• Burst water service• Blocked or broken toilet system• Serious roof leak• Gas leak• Dangerous electrical faults• Flooding or serious flood damage• Serious storm or fire damage• Failure or breakdown of any essential service or

appliance provided by the landlord or agent for water (tap or hot), cooking, heating or laundering.

• Failure or breakdown of the gas, electricity or water supply.

• Any fault or damage in the premises that makes it unsafe or insecure

• Any appliance, fitting or fixture that is causing a substantial amount of water to be wasted.

• A serious fault in a lift or staircase.

Should any of the above occur outside of office hours, please refer to the After Hours Emergency Contact list included as part of this kit.

• In using the tradespeople we include as part of this kit, you will avoid paying any invoices on the spot, as the tradesperson will forward the invoice to the office for the appropriate payment.

• If you are reporting a water or gas leak, it is imperative to turn the water or gas off at the mains until the tradesperson arrives.

• Leaking toilets can be slowed down by turning the tap on the wall near the toilet off.

MAINTENANCE

FOR PERSONAL EMERGENCIES PLEASE CALL 000.YOU MAY ALSO CALL THE STATE EMERGENCY SERVICE IN THE CASE OF EXTREME STORM EMERGENCIES.

MAIN POWER SWITCH TRIPPINGWe regularly receive phone calls from tenants advising us that their main power switch is tripping and shutting power off to the property. Most commonly, this situation is caused by a faulty appliance within the home.

Before requesting an electrician attend, please isolate and test all of your appliances including fridges, washing machines, kettles, toasters, hair dryers, televisions etc. This will generally determine if the problem is an appliance.

Please note, if an electrician is called out and it is your appliance causing the power outages, then you are liable for the cost of the electrician.

OVEN NOT WORKING If you have just moved into a property, or if you have lost power along the way, you may find your oven does not work.

Most ovens require the time to be set to operate, so please set the clock on your oven and test if it is operational prior to reporting this to your property manager.

GAS HEATING OR HOT WATER SERVICE NOT WORKINGIn bad weather or high winds, the pilot light can go out to your gas hot water and heating systems.

We that ask you take all reasonable steps to check the operation of the pilot light, and if it is out, reignite this before requesting a gas plumber to attend.

LACK OF ELECTRICITY, GAS OR WATERMost commonly, the lack of an essential service can be a result of one of the following

• You are overdue with a bill payment• The mains lever/switch is off• The supplier has shut off the supply for maintenance

or upgrades

Please check the above prior to reporting the issue to the office.

TOILET BLOCKAGESPlease ensure your children, pets or guests have not placed anything down the toilet which may have caused the blockage.

The plumbers job is much easier and cost effective if they know what they are looking for.

If the item causing the blockage came from the tenant and/or their guests, it will be at the tenant’s cost to repair.

SINKS OR SHOWERS BLOCKEDThis can quite often be due to oils and fats poured down sinks and/or excessive hair in drain pipes.

Please regularly clean your drain pipes with recommended drain clearing products to avoid grime build up.

A good plunger can quite often clear pipes also.

PEST CONTROLIn most cases, pests are deemed the responsibility of the tenant, unless the property is highly infested.

• Mice or rat problems can be treated with traps or poison.

• Spiders. ants and bugs can be treated with pest sprays.

These items are available at supermarkets, please take reasonable steps to eradicate the pests prior to contacting your agent.

ROOF LEAKSShould your roof begin to leak at any stage, please ensure all powerpoints and/or light switches within close proximity are turned off.

Placing a bucket or towels under the affected area will reduce the damage caused.

Please be aware, in the event of heavy rainfall a tradesperson will not climb onto the roof until the rain slows for safety reasons.

PROBLEM SOLVING

FINAL INSPECTION & BOND REFUNDSOnce you provide the keys and vacant possession of your home, a final inspection will be conducted.

Your bond will be resolved or actioned within 10 business days of possession being returned. It will usually be resolved much faster than this, however this time may be required if there are any issues.

We strongly suggest you clean the property thoroughly and repair any damage caused throughout your tenancy before handing back the keys to avoid issues that may prolong this process.

TENANT TRANSFERS We are aware that your circumstances may change and you or one of the other occupants may plan to move out.

This is not uncommon, and should this occur, we will need to amend the lease and bond to reflect who is residing at the property.

This process is called a tenant transfer.

The new occupant will be required to fill out an application form prior to moving in. Once approved, we will need both the new tenant and exiting tenant to complete documentation to transfer the lease over.

There is generally a small fee in this process which will be outlined in your tenancy agreement.

While the agent will arrange the paperwork pertaining to the bond, it is your responsibility to arrange the exchange of money as the bond cannot be touched until the finalisation of your tenancy.

FINALISING YOUR TENANCY

VACATING NOTICEYou are required to provide a minimum of 28 days written notice to the agent in order to vacate your property (unless you have been issued with a notice to vacate). The 28 day period begins when the notice is received by your Property Manager.

If you do not receive written confirmation of the notice to vacate within 48 hours, please contact your property manager immediately.

Should the vacate date be prior to the expiration of the current fixed term lease agreement, it will be considered a break lease situation which, should this situation arise, we will work with you.

Accountant

Australia Post

Australian Electoral Commission

Australian Taxation Office

Bank, Credit Union, Credit Card, Hire Purchase

Car, Bike, Trailer Registration Authority

Cemeteries / Plot Tenure

Charities

Childcare and After School Care

Clubs

Concession Cards

Dentist

Department of Human Services(Centerlink, Medicare, Child Support etc)

Doctor

Donate Life

Drivers License

Employer(s)

Family and Friends

Financial Advisor

Gym

Health Professionals (Physio, Podiatrist, Psychologist etc)

Insurance Companies (Car, Life etc)

Legal Representatives (Lawyer, Solicitor etc)

Library

Local Council (Rates, Registration etc)

Mail Order Catalogues

Mobile Phone

Pap Test Register

School, TAFE, University

Seniors Card

Store Loyalty Programs and Store Cards

Veterans Affairs

SPREAD THE WORDRemember to ensure everyone can still contact you at your new address. Here is a handy list of contacts you may need to advise that you have moved.

We see more than property